Under the Christmas Sky
by moonkist10
Summary: When Tsubaki walked into her dorm room that evening, she didn't expect to see Noel. Femslash. Tsubaki/Noel.


A/N - It's been forever since I posted anything writing wise. I had the itch to write some Tsubaki/Noel fluff and I figured could use it. ;) I also enjoyed imagining that it was winter, since it's so freakin' _hot_.

Edit: When I posted this last night, it was two in the morning and I neglected to proofread it. Much to my horror this morning, there were silly mistakes, which hopefully have been corrected with this edit. I apologize in advance if I missed anything.

Disclaimer: I do not own Blazblue or their characters.

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><p>Tsubaki Yayoi stepped into her dorm room after seeing Makoto off for their Christmas break, the only week the students had off during the year. She herself had chosen not to return home for the holiday, being one of the few to actually stay. She had written a letter to her parents previously, explaining that she had simply too much work to catch up on (or rather, get ahead on) to return home. Her parents had responded promptly, stating their understanding and expressing that they would miss her over the holidays. They sent a few presents as well, her mother's oh-so-nice note clearly stating she was not to open them until Christmas morning.<p>

In reality, the real gift was just being away from home. She enjoyed the time to herself, as being a member of the Yayoi family, one of the stronger ones, was actually quite suffocating. Tsubaki loved her parents, but her heritage was discomforting, to say the least.

So she expected to walk into an empty dorm room this evening. Not a dorm room with a crying Noel Vermillion.

Noel hadn't noticed her presence yet, not surprising given how much of a klutz the blonde was. Tsubaki was grateful, as she had the time to observe the severity before jumping in to comfort her friend. Noel was still wearing her Academy outfit, her hair down as usual and falling forward as she hunched over to cover her face. The last time she had seen Noel crying this hard had been when a few other "noble" girls had bullied her.

Gods help those girls if they hurt Noel again. She didn't care if they gossiped about her (and like they would, considering she was a member of the Yayoi family) but hurting her friends was unjustified and absolutely vile.

Before she could think about any form of punishment, a small hiccup from Noel jerked her from her thoughts. Tsubaki couldn't stand anymore and she walked forward to place a comforting hand on Noel's shoulder. The girl jumped at the contact and her head shot up, Noel's eyes widening when she realized who it was.

"Tsu…Tsubaki…" She sniffled, wiping away her tears hastily. "What are you d-doing here?"

Tsubaki's stern eyes softened immediately. "I should be asking you that, Noel. Why are you crying?" She sat down next to Noel on her bed and offered an assuring smile.

"I… I missed the flight out," Noel explained and took a deep breath to calm herself. Tsubaki was here and that very fact comforted her. "A-And…"

Understanding flashed in Tsubaki's eyes. "I see… And it was the last one for the break, right?"

"Yeah…"

Not knowing what else to say, Tsubaki wrapped an arm around Noel's shoulder, "I'm sorry Noel. I thought it was weird when you weren't with Makoto but I just assumed you were already on board… How did you miss it, anyway?"

Immediately, Noel's cheeks flushed and she looked away. "Um… I-It was my fault. I lost track of time, but I…" The young girl fidgeted nervously under Tsubaki's questioning gaze, her cheeks growing darker by the minute.

"But you…?"

"I…I was walking around a bit outside because it was such a beautiful day," she started quietly, fingering the hem of her skirt as she did, "And I heard someone crying in the bushes so I went to investigate. At first, I thought it was one of the younger students hiding from those girls again but I was wrong…"

Tsubaki arched an eyebrow, urging Noel to continue her story.

"In the bushes, there was a baby bunny. It was injured, Tsubaki, so I couldn't just leave it there!"

Tsubaki jumped at her friend's defensive tone and turned her head to the side. "N-Noel?"

"You can't tell anyone, Tsubaki. I made a promise!" Noel clasped her hands together and peered up at the red head imploringly. "I… I know it's against the rules to keep pets, b-but…"

"Noel, you don't have the bunny, do you?"

Noel's emerald eyes looked down again and Tsubaki found herself feeling pity for the blonde. As a student of the Academy, she had a duty to report the stray animal, but looking into Noel's eyes was just shooting yourself in the foot. Gazing into those sweet, innocent eyes was sentencing yourself to a tenure of servitude to the girl.

Tsubaki sighed. "I won't get mad, Noel. Just tell me what happened."

"I… I don't have the bunny," Noel admitted sheepishly, although she still did appear guilty. "The bunny belonged to a girl, in the same year as us. Um… Those girls…"

Blue eyes narrowed. "The ones that bullied both you and Makoto?" Tsubaki supplied, her voice raising an octave. She really would have to talk to Jin about the terrible bullying before anyone was hurt… or expelled for defending themselves.

"Y-Yes… Well, they found out about the bunny the girl was keeping and they hid it where the girl couldn't find it," Noel continued. "Thankfully, I ran into the girl after finding the bunny… so technically, the bunny isn't on campus anymore."

"I see…" Tsubaki nodded, relieved of the information. "Wait a moment; you still should have been able to make your flight…"

"Oh, um, I got… I got distracted…"

"Distracted?"

"The bunny was just too cute, Tsubaki!" Noel said, rather loudly again, hurting Tsubaki's ear drums. "I helped the girl heal it and we started playing, and… and…"

Tsubaki sighed again. "And you missed your flight…"

Well, at least Noel hadn't been bullied and missed her flight. Those bullies would have had a terrible Christmas, rest assured.

Noel sniffled again, wiping away her tears with the sleeves of her school uniform. Tsubaki stood suddenly, startling Noel, who had been leaning against her. Noel blinked up at Tsubaki and let out a surprised yelp when her friend grabbed her hand and lifted her to her feet. "Tsu-Tsubaki?"

"I know you will miss you parents, Noel," said Tsubaki, sounding hesitant to continue on. "But… Don't cry. We'll have a wonderful Christmas. I'll make sure of it!"

Noel stared at Tsubaki dumbly, the flow of tears having stopped now. She wiped away a few stray ones and watched Tsubaki turn to look around their room. "We could grab some of the leftover decorations from the Student Council room," she continued. "Oh, and we can go to the student store nearby and get one of those miniature trees…"

Tsubaki turned to face Noel again and smiled softly at her friend. "How does that sound, Noel?" She gasped out as Noel lunged forward and wrapped her in a tight hug. Tsubaki's face flushed, matching the color of her hair. Noel dug her head into the crook of Tsubaki's neck and brushed her nose back and forth.

"Tsubaki… you are the best friend ever!"

Still blushing, she wrapped her arms around Noel's waist and returned the hug. "Noel…" She murmured into the soft blonde hair of her friend.

"Yes?"

Noticing her actions, Tsubaki jerked her head back and stared at her friend. "N-Nothing… I'm just… Um…"

This must have been a sight and she was glad her parents weren't the type to surprise her with visits. A Yayoi grasping for words? It was unheard of!

"…Just agreeing with Makoto mentally with how adorable you are sometimes."

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><p>"Are you sure… Mister Kisaragi won't mind?" Noel asked after joining Tsubaki at the front of their room.<p>

They had just finished decorating their room, and in Tsubaki's opinion, it was quite beautiful. Normally, Tsubaki would have been opposed to the idea of sneaking into the Student Council room, especially without Jin's knowledge. But sneaking into the Student Council room _and _borrowing a few decorations? Tsubaki Yayoi would never have allowed such a thing.

But if it gifted her with Noel's smile, then it was worth it.

"I'm sure Jin won't mind," Tsubaki replied. "I think we did a wonderful job. Don't you agree, Noel?"

"Yes-Oh!" Noel turned and advanced towards the door leading out into the hallway. "Can I turn off the lights?"

Tsubaki nodded her head and the lights went out. The Christmas lights that hung along the wall illuminated the room softly, the slowly flashing lights bouncing off the wooden bed posts and glaring in the windows. It really was beautiful, even though they only had enough lights for two of the walls. She could even see the paper snowflakes Noel had made to hang in the window. Tsubaki had tried to make some herself, but could not make the beautiful patterns Noel could.

Tsubaki turned her head to the side to look at Noel. To her immense pleasure, the Vermillion girl's expression was one of pure glee. In the soft glow from the lights, she could see Noel's eyes watering and knew that this time, the tears were of happiness. The girl smiled to herself. Noel really did look adorable, especially with the Christmas lights flickering in her emerald eyes. She and Makoto disagreed on a lot of things, but Noel's cuteness was one she could go for now.

'_And beautiful,' _Tsubaki mentally added.

"Tsubaki?"

Noel's voice caught her off guard and she stumbled back a bit. "Oh, I'm sorry. I… I was thinking."

Yes. Thinking about how beautiful your roommate was.

"Oh…" Noel's eyebrows furrowed in concern and Tsubaki frowned. She hadn't meant to worry the girl. "That's right…"

"What?"

"You stayed here too. I'm so sorry, I've been so inconsiderate," Noel bowed repeatedly. "You must miss your family too."

"…" Tsubaki rubbed her right forearm awkwardly and averted her own gaze. "Don't worry yourself about it, Noel. I chose to stay."

Noel stopped her incessant bowing and stared at her with curious eyes. "Why?"

Gods, Noel was so insufferably innocent. Tsbuaki chewed her bottom lip and her stare met Noel's. "I… Christmas is rather hectic with my family. I just wanted to stay here and now, I'm glad I did or you would have been alone."

Really, Tsubaki couldn't stand some of the sadness that radiated off of her family members. Due to the Yayoi family's strict rules and traditions about their bloodline, some of the children were weak at birth and died. Her father had grown used to the sadness but Tsubaki hadn't. Looking at the mothers who lost their children was simply heart wrenching and just plain awkward. Telling a mother who lost her child only a week ago, "Merry Christmas", was just cruel.

Noel was a breath of fresh air she needed for a holiday.

Thankfully, Noel didn't choose to pursue that line of questioning. Instead, she walked back towards the door and flipped the light switch back on. Tsubaki was so caught up in her thoughts she didn't hear Noel walk to her from behind. She stiffened when Noel's arms wrapped around her waist, but immediately relaxed at the contact. Noel rested her chin on Tsubaki's shoulder and sighed contentedly.

Tsubaki placed a cool hand on top of Noel's. "…We're missing something."

Noel blinked curiously and looked around the room. "Missing… something?"

"Something green and, well, small given our circumstances."

Noel was silent for a moment; contemplating the clue she was given. "Oh!" She gasped and released her hold on Tsubaki. "The tree! Is the store still open?"

"I believe so," Tsubaki turned to look at Noel, the look in her eyes calming the girl immediately. "We should hurry though, just in case."

* * *

><p>Fortunately enough for the two girls, they arrived just in time to buy their small tree for the room. The quickly made a selection and bought a few ornaments. Tsubaki had left the ornaments up to Noel, who chose a variety of chibi animals. During the checkout process, the cashier had recognized Tsubaki, but had chosen to stare at her strangely as she placed the ornaments on the counter. If she had been with anyone else, she would have made that person take the ornaments back.<p>

But it was Noel. And Noel's smile meant the world to her.

Now, the walked along one of the outside paths, enjoying the full moon and the gentle snowfall. Noel was humming a Christmas carol, or at least that was what Tsubaki thought, as she had never heard an actual carol. She had been slightly embarrassed to admit to her friends that she was ignorant of a few things, one being snowball fights, and she had found out that one the hard way with thanks to Makoto.

Although she was ignorant to the song, Tsubaki allowed herself to relax and enjoy it. She wished Noel would sing the words; she was sure Noel had a beautiful voice.

"Tsubaki?"

"Yes?"

Tsubaki swore inwardly. She must have been staring again.

"The sky is so beautiful tonight," Noel said softly, holding her hands behind her back as she rocked her heels back and forth. "It's usually never this clear."

"Oh," Tsubaki tilted her head upwards to look up at the sky. It really was beautiful tonight, especially with the full moon hanging over them. She smiled, "I'm glad I agreed to take the long route. It is the perfect night for a stroll."

Noel giggled and looked towards Tsubaki. "See? I told you!"

Noel went to take a step forward, or rather skip, but immediately lost her footing and slipped backwards. Before Tsubaki could reach out and catch her friend, Noel's back hit the pavement.

"Noel, are you alright?" Tsubaki knelt down next to her blonde friend and looked her over with worried eyes. Gently, she gripped Noel's hand and helped the girl sit up. She brushed the snow off of her back and looked back, trying to find Noel's eyes for any confirmation the girl was alright. "Noel?"

Instead of the teary eyes she had been expecting, she was met with joyful emerald orbs. "I-I'm fine," Noel said, giggling at Tsubaki's tense expression. "I'm sorry I worried you."

"You need to be more careful," Tsubaki stood up and proceeded to help Noel back onto her feet. "Especially during the winter. You and ice are never a good combination."

"H-Hey!" Noel pouted adorably and tried to glare at her friend. Noel just didn't have it in her to glare at all and Tsubaki laughed. "It's not funny…"

"I know. I apologize," Tsubaki snickered, trying to disguise it as some sort of cough.

Noel turned and crouched down, appearing put out. Tsubaki's laughter died down and she walked forward to grab Noel's arm. "Noel, don't pout… Ah!" She yelled as Noel turned and threw a medium size snowball at the Yayoi family member. "_Noel_!"

It was Noel's turn to giggle. "I told you it wasn't funny," said Noel in between giggles.

"Makoto's been a terrible influence on you," Tsubaki grinned as she knelt down and grabbed a handful of snow.

"Tsubaki…" Noel began and took a few steps back. "Tsubaki, we were even!"

Tsubaki paid no heed and advanced on Noel as she rolled the snow into a firm ball. Noel let out a shriek and turned to run, but it was too late. She felt the snowball hit her lower back and seep through her light winter jacket. "Tsubaki!"

"Now that is funny," Tsubaki teased, throwing another snowball, this one hitting Noel square in the chest and exploding on her face.

Noel frowned and bent down to grab a handful of snow. "You will pay for that, Tsubaki Yayoi!"

Snowballs fired back and forth between the two for the next ten minutes. Throughout their fight, they erupted in laughter and mimicked cartoons of superheroes, vowing vengeance upon their arch rival. Tsubaki found it awkward at first, but that thought was quickly forced out of her mind. It had been a while since she had this much fun, without a single worry in the world. There was no pressure by her family to be someone, or stress about maintaining her straight A's.

It was just her and the person she loved.

After they had worked out their energy, Tsubaki sat on a cleared out part of the pavement to catch her breath. She watched Noel wave her arms and legs back and forth as she lay in the snow, making a snow angel. Now that she had regained some of her common sense, she was beginning to feel cold. She could only wonder how Noel felt, since she was dressed so lightly.

"Tsubaki!"

"Yes?"

"Could you help me up please?" She called out, remaining still in the snow. "I… I don't want to ruin my snow angel."

Tsubaki smiled to herself and stood. She walked over to where Noel laid, careful not to ruin the angel when she grew close enough. Now that she was close enough, she could tell Noel was beginning to feel the effects of the bitter cold. Her cheeks were a vibrant pink and she shivered violently, her eyes shut, as if trying to imagine something warm.

"Noel," she called and extended her hand. Noel raised her hand and allowed Tsubaki to pull her up. Once Noel was on her feet, she brushed off the snow, still shivering violently. "Perhaps we should go in?" Tsubaki suggested.

"N-Not… y-yet," Noel's teeth chattered and she wrapped her arms around herself in a poor attempt to warm herself up. "W-What… d-do you think?"

Tsubaki looked back towards the snow angel Noel had done. She frowned as Noel's teeth chattered again. "I'm thinking you're going to be sick this Christmas if you don't change clothes."

Noel pouted. "Tsubaki…." She whined.

"It's perfect," Tsubaki conceded, simply wishing to get Noel inside.

Noel's shivering continued, prohibiting her from responding at all. The red head sighed and pulled Noel into her arms, sharing her warmth with the other girl. "I'm sorry," she murmured into Noel's hair. "I should not have laughed at you."

"I-It's fine…" Noel managed to reply, pulling Tsubaki closer. She dug her face into the crook of Tsubaki's neck, hoping to warm her ice cold nose up. "I shouldn't have started the snowball fight."

Tsubaki chuckled. "There are a lot of things we should not have done today… And a lot I should not feel either."

"Tsubaki?" Noel pulled back slightly to look at her friend. "What shouldn't you feel?"

Thankfully, the cold disguised her blush as a pink splotch on her cheeks. "Nothing. Forget that…"

"Tsubaki…"

Their gazes met again and Tsubaki wanted to immediately pull away. Noel's gaze was so mesmerizing, pulling Tsubaki in and never letting go. And for the first time, Tsubaki found herself wanted to kiss a girl. She wanted to kiss Noel Vermillion.

It would end badly if she ventured down that road. Noel could reject her and that would hurt the most, but it would be for the best. Tsubaki was bound to her family, bound to continuing her bloodline with whoever her father chose. It would make it so much more difficult if Noel returned her feelings. The other road, should she not kiss Noel right here and now, was less bumpy. She wouldn't lose Noel or have her for only a little while and still lose her. In Tsubaki Yayoi's rational mind, the latter option was the best.

But regret was not something Tsubaki enjoyed.

'_Family, tradition, think of your family, Tsubaki,' _she chanted in her mind.

Unfortunately for Tsubaki Yayoi, her irrational mind was in control this very night. It had been the moment she had decided to see Noel smile, no matter what.

Tsubaki let out a shaky breath and leant forward, pressing her lips to Noel's in a gentle kiss.

She felt Noel stiffen against her and relented the pressure on Noel's lips. However, Noel relaxed and began to kiss back.

The kiss was nothing like what Tsubaki had read in her novels, where the hero would passionately kiss his Princess or the movies where the protagonist would succumb to the lust of the femme fatale. There was no passion involved, although that would certainly change if she let go of her senses completely. There were no words to describe it, really. It was just Noel's lips against her own, full of Noel's gentleness and pure heart.

To put it simply, it was perfection.

The lack of air became an obstacle and Tsubaki had to pull away. Noel rested her fore head against Tsubaki's, her eyes still closed. She blushed at the closeness but didn't pull away. She was content where she was. Watching Noel was something Tsubaki could do all night, as long as she never looked upset again.

Noel finally spoke, "Tsubaki…" She breathed. Her hot breath hit Tsubaki's lips and she shivered in delight. "Um… Is there mistletoe, or something?"

That certainly wasn't the response Tsubaki had been expecting. She chuckled and met Noel's eyes. "No… I'm afraid not."

"Oh," Noel blushed and fidgeted within Tsubaki's arms. "I- I'm… I'm so sorry!" Noel pulled away and began her bowing routine once again.

"Noel," Tsubaki placed her hands on either of Noel's shoulders, halting her completely. "Please don't apologize. I… I was the one who kissed you. I'm sorr-"

"N-No," Noel interrupted. "I… Um… I wanted you to kiss me Tsubaki. I'm so sorry! I… I… I just really like you."

This time, Tsubaki was the one shell-shocked. Her eyes widened as she processed the words Noel had just spoken.

"_I just really like you."_

Gods, how could Tsubaki say no to that?

"Noel…" Tsubaki sighed and wrapped the girl in another tight hug.

'_Family, tradition, think of your family, Tsubaki…'_

For the first time, Tsubaki found herself just not caring about what her family thought. She didn't give a damn about tradition or her future husband. This was Tsubaki's chance to be happy… if only for a little while.

"I… really like you too…"

'_No, if you're going to confess, do it right.'_

"No… what am I saying?"

Noel's eyes glazed over in panic, startling Tsubaki. "I… I… I'm so sorry!"

"No! That's… not what I meant," Tsubaki averted her gaze, clinging to Noel for dear life. She wouldn't be able to stand it if Noel ran away. "I was talking to myself. What I really meant to say was…"

"I love you, Noel. So much."

Tsubaki pronounced stressed the end. It was true, so very true. She had probably loved Noel since the moment they met and for the interest of her family, she pushed those feelings away. Tsubaki had said the words though and there was no going back.

"T-Tsubaki…" Noel stammered, her grip on the red head beginning to slack. "Do you… Do you really mean that?"

"Yes. I do, Noel. I really do love you."

Noel remained silent and still within Tsubaki's arm, and Tsubaki found herself afraid to let go. Fortunately, Noel spoke soon.

"…Tsubaki," she raised a hand and gently cupped Tsubaki's cheek. "I… I… You don't know how much this means… I… I love you too, Tsubaki."

Tsubaki smiled and crashed their bodies together again in another kiss. This time, Noel returned it immediately and wrapped her arms around Tsubaki's neck to pull her closer.

Tsubaki knew there was a tough road ahead. Her family, should they find out about her relationship, would try to force them apart. She loved her parents, but being away from Noel was unacceptable and she doubted she would be able to handle a day apart from the girl now. And who knew what the future held. Her parents could succeed in tearing her away from her precious Noel, or Noel would be drafted into the front lines of the war with Ikaruga. She could be away from Noel for months… years… decades… and she wouldn't love her any less. If anything, her love would simply grow.

But she knew one thing for sure…

No matter what the future held for them, they would always have this night under the Christmas sky.


End file.
